Forbidden Love
by inveritas
Summary: She knew she shouldn’t be interested in him, but there was something about him that she just had to discover. Jibbs AU
1. From Your Smile

**Forbidden Love**

**Rating: **FR15 - FR18**  
Genre: **Romance/AU/General**  
Pairings: **Jibbs**  
Warnings: **None**  
Summary: **She knew she shouldn't be interested in him, but there was something about him that she just had to discover.**  
Notes: **This is completely AU and was inspired by a Saula fic I read. :D I also used their real age difference (Lauren's and Mark's - Mark is 12 years older than Lauren.) In this story Jenny is 20 and Gibbs is 32 and it is set in 1983. Their ages are how old they would have been then.

And because I'm me and I have to justify anything that may come off as OOC or whatever, my justification for the reader believing that Gibbs could be a teacher is that we know from Ducky that Gibbs used to be like Tony and we also know that Tony went undercover as a teacher. . .so it could make sense.

**Chapter 1: From Your Smile**

Jenny looked at her watch, '_Five minutes, damn.'_ she cursed. She was running late to class, she had missed the first bus so she had to wait around for the next one, consequently making her late. She knew the Professor would be mad, that's if he let her in. She nervously approached the classroom door, she hesitated for moment before opening the door. As she did she felt every set of eyes (including the Professor's) trained on her. She felt herself go red in the face as she walked in.

"May I ask why you're late Miss Shepard?"

"I- I missed the bus, Sir."

"That's not a very good excuse now is it? Go and sit down."

Jenny shyly walked over to a desk near the back of the classroom and sat down. She hoped she wouldn't be called on to answer any kind of questions today. She hadn't done much preparation for this class, she'd been too busy. It had been tough on her, moving away to come here. Her parents had been supportive of her decision but it was still hard on her. Being late to class nearly every day didn't help either, even if the lateness wasn't always her fault.

The class seemed to drag on forever, Jenny wished she could leave, but she knew if she did that more attention would be brought to her and she _really _didn't want that. She glanced around the room, her mood seemed to be shared by everyone else, though most were trying hard to seem interested. Jenny wasn't even sure what the professor was talking about. Then it happened. Just what she didn't want, he called on her, "Miss Shepard? Are you going to answer or just stare into space?"

She felt her face go red, '_Great,' _she thought, '_like I needed that.' _The class was all focused on her, hanging to see if she had actually heard the question - as it was quite obvious from her reaction that she hadn't, then she did it, she confronted the fact that she hadn't heard and hadn't even been paying attention, "Can you repeat the question?" She asked nervously.

"Looks like someone hasn't even been paying attention. . .that wouldn't have happened if you had actually arrived on time now would it, Miss Shepard?"

Jenny sank into her seat. She now knew this year was going to be tough. Especially if she kept missing busses. The Professor eventually turned his attention to other students (probably the only ones who _had _been paying attention) and Jenny was finally left to her own thoughts.

When class was over, Jenny quickly began packing her books back into her bag. She made her way to the door; following everyone else, until she heard a voice say, "Miss Shepard, I'd like to talk to you." She recognised it straight away. She turned around.

"Yes Professor?"

"We need to talk about your attendance record. Something needs to be done about it. So far you've only attended four out of the eight classes this term, care to tell me why?"

"I told you, Professor Gibbs, I missed the bus." Jenny replied, rather flatly.

"That may be true for today, Miss Shepard, but not the other times."

"Well, I don't have an answer, you can't help being late sometimes, Sir. Now I really have to go."

"Late, are you?"

'_I don't need this today.' _Jenny thought as she left the room. Truth be told she really didn't have to be anywhere, she just really needed to get away from Professor Gibbs. He frustrated her a lot of the time, and it annoyed her that she let him get to her like this. But there was something oddly intriguing about him, something Jenny really wanted to discover . . . Then there was his smile. . .

She couldn't even believe she was thinking these thoughts, it was insane. But every time she caught a glimpse of the emotion in those sapphire blue eyes, she just wanted to know more. . .then when she managed to catch him smiling she just knew she _had_ to know more. . .

'_All of this,'_ She thought,_ 'From a damn smile. . . What have you got yourself into Jenny?' _

Later that day, when it was time for her to leave, Jenny made her way out of the college and back to her apartment as she walked she looked around at the fallen leaves on the pavement, they had been walked all over many times, and had lost their charm. A charm and colour that was so striking there was no way you could miss it, it was piercing. She looked over at the other side of the road, there was a park there filled with trees, dressed in their autumn colours; piles of leaves surrounding the base of their trunks. Jenny saw the beauty, though surrounded by the beautiful still green grass, it wasn't hard. She looked back to the crushed leaves beneath her feet. Something so beautiful, had been lost in these leaves, just by altering their surroundings. The difference between the rich colour the leaf used to have, and the harsh grey pavement on which it now sat, was obvious. They were like night and day. . .so different yet there was still something, something that hadn't been lost from the harshness of the pavement. The story behind the leaves was still there, it would never go away, it was just there, waiting for someone to discover it.

She found her thoughts drifting from the autumn leaves to something - or rather someone - who she could easily relate to these golden leaves. Professor Gibbs. _'Damn that man.'_ Jenny thought. She was frustrated that he was so easily able to creep into her thoughts, she found herself thinking about him a lot lately. . .ever since she'd seen him smile. When he did his whole face lit up, the emotion in his eyes changed from the harsh sternness to a pure state of joy. Though she couldn't remember any other time she'd seen him smile. . .She wondered why, but then, she really didn't see him as being the 'smiley' type of person. There was too much history there. . .a history that intrigued her, about which she had to know more.

She was still a few blocks away from her apartment, she noticed the sun was starting to set, which made the colours of the trees all the more beautiful. She smiled to herself and pulled the collar of her coat up as she felt the chilled breeze rush through her. She continued walking, being careful to avoid the puddles which dotted the pavement and the many leaves encased in them.

When she arrived at her front door, she took her key out of her bag and slid it into the keyhole, and soon she was safely inside, where it was a little warmer. She dropped her books and her bag on the table, she would deal with them later, right now, she needed some coffee.

Jenny sat down with her coffee, she was trying to work on her paper. It wasn't working, not surprising though, since it was for Professor Gibbs's class. They had been instructed to write a short story, they could choose the genre. The idea was to be creative and original. It sometimes surprised Jenny that Professor Gibbs was a teacher of English. . .he was a man of few words, and he always liked to get to the point, he was also impatient. Yet the subject he taught was all about words. Which made him even more of an enigma to Jenny, and even more interesting. She had been staring at her blank page for a little over twenty minutes, she had yet to decide on a topic. . .which was a problem since the draft of the paper was due the next day. She sat there tapping her pen on the table for a few minutes until it hit her: she had an idea. And it was, inspired by the very thing that frustrated her, Professor Gibbs. . .

She began writing.


	2. From Your Actions

I'm so glad there is interest in this, thank you to everyone who's reading this and leaving feedback, it means a lot :) I hope you enjoy this chapter.****

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Chapter 2: From Your Actions

The next day Jenny woke up a little earlier than she usually did, she wanted to see what Professor Gibbs's reaction would be like if she actually made it to class on time, or better yet, early. She was excited, she was pleased with what she'd written the previous night. She had found it easy to write about those emotions. . .those thoughts and those feelings. Feelings she herself had. . .for the same person who inspired her story. She knew it was crazy, but she couldn't help it. Her room-mate noticed her changed mood and commented, "What's gotten into you?" Paulina asked her, "Or should I say, _who_?"

"Nothing and no one."

"Why don't I believe that?"

"You should, it's the truth."

"You've never been a good liar, Jen. So don't start pretending now." Paulina teased.

"What do you know anyway?" Jenny said, smirking.

"Go, you'll be late, wouldn't want your miss your new best friend would you?"

"Oh shut up." Jenny said, laughing.

Jenny knew she wasn't a good liar, she never had been. She always made it obvious, and her right eye always seemed to twitch when she did, hence her making it more obvious. Those who had known her for a few years caught onto this, consequently Jenny never was any good at bluffing.

She found it hard to mask her feelings of apprehension as she approached the door to the classroom, a whole, five minutes early. She was quite impressed with herself. This was probably the first time she had been this early. She hoped it would be noticed. She entered the room, noticing a few other students already there, and she noticed Professor Gibbs. Needless to say he noticed her. She walked in the general direction of his desk, not specifically going there, but making sure she went close enough to make herself noticed by him. She was starting a dangerous game, one which she wasn't sure she even knew how to control, which scared her a little, but she for the moment she was going along with the ride, wherever it would take her. Professor Gibbs was a little taken aback by the fact that Jenny Shepard had arrived early, but more so by how she was acting. He knew what she was doing, he was perceptive, she was trying to get his attention. _'Congratulations, Miss Shepard, you've done it.' _He thought, acting like he hadn't noticed Jenny's actions. He decided to emphasise that by making a remark about Jenny's punctuality, "You're here, and five minutes early, that's certainly a change. What happened?"

Jenny, not wanting to be embarrassed by the fact that he specifically singled her out -again, replied, with a slight hint of sarcasm in her voice, "I guess I just realised how much I love this class."

She heard the rest of the class laugh, a good sign, at least her feelings hadn't been highlighted and everyone just assumed she was joking.

He hadn't expected that kind of confidence from her, "I don't need that kind of cheek in my class Miss Shepard. I'll see you afterwards."

'_At least I accomplished one thing. . . I got his attention.' _Jenny thought, opening her book.

The class dragged on, though it didn't seem as bad as it had the previous day. When it ended, Professor Gibbs asked everyone to hand in their papers, by placing them on his desk. "Miss Shepard, we need to talk." He said, once everyone else had left the room. Jenny felt her heart rate increase, she was nervous, and she was beginning to wonder if her newly found attitude was a good thing or not. There wasn't much (if anything) you could hide from Professor Gibbs and Jenny was sure she was about to find that out for herself.

He spoke in a stern yet soft tone, it was more, 'being firm but being kind about it' than straight up stern, "You better hope your paper is good, Miss Shepard. What has gotten into you anyway?"

Jenny's nerves were increasing, she found herself not even being able to look at him. He sensed her nervousness.

"What were you trying to do, Jenny?" That caught her off guard, it was the first time she had

ever heard him call her by her first name.

She hesitantly looked up at him, and much to her annoyance, her eyes met his. '_Damn, now I'm really in trouble.' _She thought. "You going to answer?"

She felt an odd sense of déjà vu as he asked the question, but managed to give a reply, "I- I - I don't know. Stuff, I guess. It won't happen again. . .I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise, it's a sign of weakness."

"What?" Jenny was startled.

"Apologies, they're a sign of weakness. You don't want people to think your vulnerable do you, Jenny?"

"No, I guess I don't." She replied.

"That's not a very good answer on your part, if you want people to believe you're not vulnerable, you have to believe it yourself. Say it again."

She knew where this was going, he was actually trying to make her feel better, she was surprised, but definitely not disappointed, "I don't."

"You don't what?"

"I don't want people to think I'm vulnerable."

"Better. . .though it could use work. You can go now."

"Thank you, sir."

"Jethro."

She turned back to him, "Thank you, Jethro."


	3. Falling Faster Than Before

**Chapter 3: Falling Faster Than Before**

Jethro Gibbs smiled back at Jenny, she intrigued him, he was, more than before, interested to see what she had written. He packed the pile of stories into his bag and put his coat back on and left the classroom.

He made his way back to his office before he would go home, he had a few more papers to collect. To everyone who knew him, he was a man of little words, and it generally surprised people when he said he was an English professor. But his reasoning for choosing this job, was that he was fascinated by the stories that people have and he liked trying to figure out the puzzle, that was put together by the author, which was why he chose to teach a subject about novels and writing in general. The idea of working out the subtleties of the plot and the stories each character possessed intrigued him. Though he was impatient sometimes, so he preferred to read rather than write.

Once he collected the papers he needed he grabbed his key and locked his door. He then made his way down to the parking lot and found his car. He tossed his bag on the backseat and got into the car. As he started the engine he spotted her. Her with the fiery red hair, it cascaded down her small frame, so gently. He watched her for a moment, until she looked in his direction. Of course he was too far away for her to actually see him, but it was enough for him to start the car and drive off. As he drove he thought about asking her if she wanted a lift, but he soon saw someone who was obviously a friend of hers walk up to her. That had obviously been who she had been looking at, she smiled as her friend started talking to her. That was one thing he would never forget, her smile. When she smiled the whole room lit up. When she smiled, she was even more beautiful than she usually was.

Jethro tried to collect his thoughts and get Jenny Shepard out of them, it worked for a moment, but she was someone who one could forget easily.

He pulled into his driveway and grabbed his bag from the backseat of the car. He slung it over his shoulder and walked to the door. He drove his hand into the pocket of his coat and found his keys. He slid the key into the keyhole and opened the door. As he stepped inside he noticed that he had mail on the floor. He bent down to pick it up and walked into the kitchen, putting his bag and the mail on the table there.

"I need coffee." He declared. He walked into the kitchen and began making his coffee. There were some things Jethro Gibbs could do without, but coffee was definitely not one of them. Most of his friends assumed that instead of blood, he had coffee flowing through his veins.

When it was ready, he poured the dark liquid into a cup he inhaled the scent and took a sip.

- - -

Later that evening, after having another few cups of coffee, Jethro began to read through his students' papers. Some of them were quite good, while some of them weren't, he didn't have much patients for those kinds of stories, but he knew he had to read them all through. When he was halfway through the pile he looked at the name written in the corner of the page, it read, Jenny Shepard. _'Now, _**this**_ will be interesting.' _He looked at the title, "From His Smile" he knew immediately where it was going. Romance wasn't a genre he was particularly interested in, he usually found it to be too over the top and corny. Though, in this case he was more than willing to start having an open mind. He began reading.

He was halfway through before he noticed his heart started to beat faster, he knew Jenny was writing about him. It fascinated him that she was this perceptive, the things she wrote about really surprised him. It almost seemed like this was her way of confessing her feelings without being too upfront about it. While he admired her for being able to write this, he wasn't sure why she had been so un willing to share them with him. As he kept reading he noticed a few lines in particular that caught his eye_. . . there was something oddly intriguing about him, something she really wanted to discover . . . Then there was his smile. That was the moment Helen knew she was in love with him. . . _He wasn't sure how he should interpret this, he was also unsure of the idea of having such relations with a student. . .despite them all being adults it was still something not talked about. He read through the rest of the story, he was captured by Jenny's writing, he suspected this was because she was writing about real feelings and it made it all the more realistic. More so the fact that she was writing about him.

He got to the end of the story and wrote a little comment at the base of her page. It was simple and to the point, but so much more complex than that, typically him:

_You could have just told me. _

He was curious as to how she would react but he was pretty certain the feelings would be returned after what he'd just read.

The rest of the stories didn't have the same emotional impact as Jenny's but Jethro was glad about that. In these past twenty four hours he had experienced more emotions than he was comfortable with, so plain stories were just what he wanted right now.

When he finally got to the end of the pile, he went down to his basement and poured a glass of bourbon, his preferred drink, and grabbed the sander and rubbed it on the wooden frame of his half completed boat. He found it relaxing to make things, and it allowed him to concentrate on the boat rather than everything else happening in his life.

- - -

"So. . .are you going to tell me about him or not, Jenny?"

"I told you, there is no 'him'." Jenny replied.

"Oh, so it's a her!" Paulina teased.

"No!" Jenny said, throwing a cushion at Paulina, "It is not a her. I told you there is no one."

"Jen come on, I know you, you're lying now spill."

"Fine," Jenny said, "You really want to know?"

"Yes, I think I've made that pretty obvious by now."

"You sure you won't think I'm weird?"

"Come on, Jen, it can't be that bad."

"Okay, fine. He has the most amazing eyes, they're like these piercing sapphires and his smile, that's really something else. When he smiles it lights up his face, and you instantly feel like smiling. Though he doesn't smile much, not sure why, I guess he doesn't have much to smile about. He's just so interesting."

"That's nice, but what's his name?"

"Oh, you want his name?"

"YES!"

"Fine, his name is Jethro."

"Jethro? That's a bit of an odd name isn't it?"

"Yes, I guess it is but it suits him."

Paulina was thinking of all the people she knew trying to work out which one Jenny was so fascinated with. . .then it hit her, "Oh my God, you mean to tell me that you're in love with that English professor, what's his name. . .Professor Gibbs!"

Jenny just looked at her friend, she didn't need to say anything, Paulina knew he reply. "Isn't he a bit old Jenny?"

"Come on, he's only twelve years older than me. It's no big deal."

"Right, and what does he think about this?"

"I don't think he knows. . ."

"Jen, you gotta do something about this."

- - -

The next day, Jenny was early to class again, deliberately. On her way she spotted Professor Gibbs and he spotted her. He walked up to her and said, "Read your paper last night. It was interesting."

'_Interesting? That's all he's got? _**Interesting**_? Gee, I'm in trouble.' _Jenny thought.

"See you in class, Miss Shepard."

"What happened to Jenny?" Jenny replied, trying to lighten the mood.

Jethro simply smiled to himself and walked into the classroom.

Once the other students were there Jethro handed back the papers he had corrected the night before. When Jenny received hers. . .she felt her face go red, _'Damn him' _She thought, _'Why does he have to do this to me?' _She hoped the rest of the class didn't notice; they didn't. They were too busy looking over their papers. She smiled when she saw his comment. At least he felt the same way. '_Now what can I do about that_. . ._' _She thought. Then she had an idea.

Once the class was over, Jenny waited until everyone else had left before she approached Professor Gibbs. . .no, _Jethro_. She walked up to him and whispered in his ear, "I prefer to show rather than tell."

She started to walk away, but he grabbed her arm, and she turned back to him. He spoke softly, there was a huskiness to his voice, "Then show me."

She looked straight at him, burying herself in his eyes, the eyes she wondered so much about, then she looked down, stopping at his lips. . .they were so inviting. . .she could hardly control herself. . .She took a deep breath and went for it; she brushed her lips against his, she felt his mouth open slightly; an invitation for her to slide her tongue into his mouth. The kiss intensified then. Jenny wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed him against the wall, she was completely lost in him. She knew it was wrong, but it felt right and she wasn't about to fight that feeling.

Jethro responded quickly to Jenny's actions, though in that moment they surprised him, he had been expecting her to do something like this after she'd said, "I prefer to show rather than tell." He had prepared himself for it, but not quite enough. The passion felt on both their behalves was intoxicating and amazing. Both didn't want this moment to end. But they couldn't stay like this forever, after all, someone would notice.

They eventually broke apart, Jenny noticed the desire in Jethro's eyes, and he noticed it in hers too. They knew this wasn't going to be simple, and they definitely knew it wasn't going to be over soon. Though they weren't really sure they wanted it to be over.


	4. Telling A Secret Is The Hardest Thing

**Chapter 4: Telling A Secret Is The Hardest Thing**

Jenny walked out of the classroom, as she did so she licked her lips, tasting the remains of Jethro's kisses. She smiled. She was deliriously happy, in her head it seemed wrong, in her heart nothing could have been more right.

As she walked into her apartment she saw Paulina, and Paulina knew something had happened. Jenny had never came home this deliriously happy before. "Tell me everything." Paulina said.

"Well, there's not much to tell really. . ." Jenny said, fiddling with the belt loop on her jeans.

"Sure there isn't. Tell me."

"Fine. We kissed. And it was amazing."

"No way."

"Yes way."

"Wow, you really kissed him?"

"Would I lie about that?"

"No, you wouldn't, and if you were I would be able to tell. . . Wow you _really _did."

"Okay, I think we get the point now."

"What was it like? How did happen?"

"What you've never kissed anyone before, Paulina?"

Paulina gave her a sarcastic look and replied, "Of course I have I just want to know the details."

"Oh, so it's like that is it, well, what if I don't want to tell you."

"Oh Jenny, that's cruel."

"No, it's not. It's just that I think the man deserves some privacy."

"Sure, like I believe that."

"It's complicated Paulina. I don't even know what will happen."

"Okay, I can understand that. But you'll have to deal with it you know."

"I know but I'm not sure how I should. . ."

"Just talk about it with him. Sounds like he won't be able to forget about it either."

- - -

Paulina was right, (without knowing it though) Jethro hadn't been able to forget. Though he didn't really want to. As soon as he had come home he went straight to his basement and to his boat. He needed to think about this. He decided he needed someone to talk about this with, he called one of his friends, one he had known for a very long time. He was also a professor at the college, he taught medicine.

"Jethro, quite a surprise to be hearing from you."

"Yeah, I guess it is Duck."

"What brings this on? Or should I say who?"

"Well you should probably start with who."

"Oh, I see." Ducky replied.

"I just don't know what to do Duck, she's one of my students; Jenny Shepard. Amazing girl, beautiful and a really good kisser."

"So you know her well then."

"Well yeah, Duck, you don't go kissing a girl if you don't know her."

"Well. . .there are some who do, Jethro."

"To the point Ducky."

"Talk to her Jethro. If you don't you'll drive yourselves insane."

"Can it really be that simple, Duck?"

"Everything is only as simple or as complicated as we make it, Jethro."

"You have a point."

"Enough of talking to me Jethro. Go and put down that glass of bourbon and stop sanding that damn boat and go and talk to her."

"You do have a way with words, Duck."

"Thank you now, go talk to her."

"Thank you Ducky."

"You're welcome, Jethro. Let me know how it goes."

"Bye."

"Bye."

- - -

Jenny looked down at the phone in her hands. She had been looking at it for at least half an hour, trying to get the courage to call him. . . She was just so unsure. Paulina had tried to reassure her that everything would be okay, because he obviously felt the same way, but it still didn't stop her feeling like she did. She began dialling the numbers. . .before she could finish the phone rang. . .it was him.

'_At least I got out of calling.' _Jenny thought, as she answered, "Hello?"

"Hi Jen."

"I was just about to call you."

"So you haven't been sitting there for an hour starring at the phone then?"

'_How does he do that?' _She wondered. Jenny laughed, "So what did you want?"

"I want to talk to you."

"Funny about that, I wanted to talk to you too."

"I figured that, after our little moment in my classroom this afternoon."

"Yeah. . .About that. . ."

"You too, huh."

"Me too what?"

"You have been thinking about it too. . ." Jethro said.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You always seem to know what I'm thinking. . .or have been thinking." Jenny replied.

"I'm good at reading people." He replied.

"I want to see you again." Jenny said.

"So do I."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

"See you tomorrow?"

"Definitely."

"Bye Jenny."

"Bye. . .Jethro."


	5. All That You Are

Lyrics are from "I Have Nothing"**  
**Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone :)

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**  
Chapter 5: All That You Are**

_Share my life, take me for what I am  
Coz I'll never change all my colours for you  
Take my love, I'll never ask for too much  
Just all that you are and everything that you do  
_

The next day, Jenny arrived at the college and made her way to Jethro's office. She knocked on the door, hoping he would be in there.

"Professor?"

He looked up from his paper, he knew that voice; he smiled and replied, "Come in, Jen."

"So I take it we're being informal today then?"

"When have we ever been 'formal' Jen?"

"Before I knew I loved you."

That caught him off guard, "What did you say?"

"I said, I love you. What's wrong?"

"It's just that I didn't expect you to say that. But for the record, I love you too."

She walked over to him, and she didn't say anything she just put her hands around his face and kissed him full on the mouth.

"Wow." Was all he could say.

"I told you, I prefer show to tell."

"Funnily enough so do I."

"I thought you'd say that."

"Mmm" He replied, then he brought his lips to hers. She opened her mouth a little letting his tongue slide in. He increased the force and buried his tongue into her mouth more. She felt his arm wrap around her waist and he pulled her towards him. She moved her hips around a bit, she could feel his arousal. He let out moan, he was definitely feeling what she was.

Jenny was just about to unbutton his shirt when they heard a knock at the door. Jenny quickly got up and moved to the other side of the desk, she sat down, acting like she was talking to him about something work related, to not seem suspicious. She was grateful Jethro didn't reply to the person at the door until she was comfortably seated.

"Come in." he said finally.

A student, only a little older than Jenny entered, "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know you were already seeing someone. . . I can come back later. . ."

"It's okay, I was just leaving anyway." Jenny said, reluctantly picking up her bag and leaving. She quickly scribbled down a note and handed it to Jethro, asking him to call her when he was finished. He nodded and Jenny left. She fought the urge to go over there and kiss him goodbye. She knew she couldn't but she really wished she could. She left without saying anything more. Leaving the poor guy who had no idea what just happened to talk to Professor Gibbs.

Later that day Jethro called Jenny, "Sorry we got interrupted. Comes with the job, I guess."

"It's alright, you can make it up to me later. . ."

Jethro laughed, "I'm sure I can. . .Jenny, do you want to come over to my place tonight?"

"Sure." She replied.

- - -

It was raining and Jenny had no money for the bus, so she had to walk in the rain, "Fabulous. . . I'm supposed to be getting ready to see the man of my dreams yet instead I'm walking in the freezing rain. Just perfect." She pulled the hood of her coat over her head, attempting to divert the rain a little off her face. The rain gradually got heavier, much to the annoyance of Jenny, home wasn't that far away so she decided to run. Bad idea. She found herself tripping over several times and consequently grazing both knees and her hands.

By the time she got home she was soaked and miserable, she figured she would just call Jethro and tell him she couldn't make it. . .there was no way she was going out looking like she did. Paulina saw her as she walked through the front door, "What the hell happened, Jen?"

"I'm okay, don't worry about it. I just scrapped my knee. I'm going to take a shower." She didn't seem like she felt like talking and Paulina noticed that. She decided to leave her for now, and talk to her about it later.

Jenny stepped into the shower and felt the warm water rush over her sore body. She noticed she had several cuts on her legs as well as her knees. _'Great.' _She thought.

She spent a while in the shower, cleaning her cuts and washing her hair, and also thinking. She wondered what she deserved for all this to be happening, everything was going fine until today. She decided she wasn't going to let it get her down, she would be able to work through it.

She turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, grabbing her towel and rubbing it over her body and wrapping around her body. She was careful to avoid the scrapes on her knees and legs. Then she grabbed another towel and wrapped it around her head.

She walked back to her bedroom and found some clothes. She decided she wasn't going to see Jethro tonight, she didn't want him to start feeling sorry for her. She put on some jeans and a plain t-shirt. Now she would have to call him and break the news to him.

She dialled his number and smiled when she heard him answer, she loved his voice, "Jethro, it's Jenny. I um. . .I can't make it tonight."

"What happened?"

"Oh, nothing, I just, don't worry about it. . .I -"

"Jenny, tell me."

"I - I fell over a few times walking home. And I'm sore, I don't want -"

"Don't be ridiculous Jenny, you're coming even if I have to go over there and carry you here."

Somehow she knew he would say something like that and it made her smile.

"So I'll see you at 8?"

"Yes, I guess you will."

"You have to stop being so unsure, Jenny."

"And I suppose you can help with that, Jethro."

She heard him laugh, "Of course I can. See you later Jen."

"Bye." She hung up the phone and looked over at her wardrobe. "What the hell am I going to wear then?" She said out loud to herself.

Eventually she found something. She found a knee length green dress she had bought a few months ago. She was sure it was something Jethro would approve of. And it fell just below her knees, hiding her scrapes.

Once she had done her hair and make-up she walked out to the living room where Paulina was watching something on TV.

"What do you think?" Jenny asked.

"You look gorgeous Jenny. I'm sure Jethro will think the same. Do you want me to drive you over there?"

"Sure, that'd be great."

- - -

They arrived at Jethro's place a short time later and Jenny carefully stepped out of the car and said goodbye to Paulina.

She walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. She stood there nervously waiting for Jethro to answer. When he eventually did he smiled at her and asked her to come in. Jenny felt like melting when she saw him smile, she knew from past experience that it took a lot to make him smile like that so she'd obviously done something right.

"So you approve?"

"You look beautiful, Jen."

"I've noticed you keep shortening my name. . .Pretty soon we'll be down to initials." Jenny smiled.

"Is that so, Jennifer."

"You know that's the first time you've called me that, and for your own good it better be the last." They both laughed and walked into the kitchen.

- - -

The evening went along really nicely after they ate dinner Jethro showed Jenny around the house. He had been telling her about the boat he was building and so he decided to show her. He led her down the stairs to the basement. Once there they found a light switch and suddenly Jenny saw the half finished boat.

"What do you think?" Jethro asked.

"You made this?"

"I sure did."

"How long did it take you?"

"She's not finished yet, but it's been a while. I work on her when I need to relax."

"She?"

"Yeah, the boat, you call it a she."

"Jethro, She is the cat's mother. Not a boat."

"Think what you will, Jenny."

"I will." She replied, smugly.

"Want something to drink?"

"What have you got?"

"Bourbon."

"I don't drink bourbon."

"You will. If you keep spending time with me."

"What makes you think I'll stick around that long?" Jenny asked, walking closer to him.

"The look in your eyes says you will."

"Really. . ." She was now only a few centimetres away from him now, she looked up into his eyes and smiled. He knew what she was asking for so he lent down and kissed her. She responded quickly and wrapped her arms around his neck. His back was now pressed against the frame of the boat, Jenny moved her hands down his body and began unzipping his jeans. As she began to do so Jethro stopped her.

"If we're going to do that, we should go upstairs where it's more comfortable."

Jenny laughed, "Ha, of course." They walked hand in hand up the stairs and went straight to Jethro's bedroom. As they walked in Jethro closed the door and led Jenny to the bed. He began undressing himself and she followed suit by doing the same. Jenny fell back onto the bed and Jethro crawled up to her. Kissing her side as he made his way up to her face. He wrapped his arms around her small body and rubbed her skin. He placed his hands in the small of her back and pulled her closer to him; she could feel his hardness on her inner thigh. He lowered her back onto the bed and she reached for his boxers and pulled them off. He then ran his hands down her stomach and under the elastic of her underwear; he carefully slid them off. Once they were off he stroked her with his hand, rubbing gently on her clit. As he did so she let out a soft moan, indicating to him to keep going. He began rubbing up and down and slid two fingers inside her gently pulling them in and out, they had created a beautiful rhythm. But they both needed more. Jenny reached for Jethro's hardness and she gently guided him inside her. He slowly pushed in; burring himself inside her. Then he would move out then in. Their rhythm was perfect now. He held his cock in his hand and rubbed it up towards Jenny's clit she was almost there; as was he. She moved her hands down so they met on his and she guided him inside her again, he pushed a little harder than before, and Jenny didn't complain. She was reaching her peak and was ready to embrace it. Their rhythm increased then, as they needed to feel it; then they reached it. Jenny let out a deep breath, he had literally taken her breath away.

"You alright?"

"Yeah. . .that was amazing." She replied. Jethro got off her and laid on his side next to her, and she positioned herself so that her back was against his front, she reached for his hand and planted several kisses on it. They interlaced their fingers and eventually fell asleep.


	6. Are You Gonna Love Me Forever?

Sorry for making you wait so long. Thanks to everyone who's reading and leaving feedback. :)  
A/N: The title and the lyrics are from Straight Up by Paula Abdul.

**Chapter 6: Are You Gonna Love Me Forever? **

_Straight up now tell me  
Do you really want to love me forever oh oh oh  
Or am I caught in a hit and run  
Straight up now tell me  
Is it gonna be you and me together oh oh oh  
Are you just having fun_

It was late morning before Jenny arrived back at her apartment and Paulina noticed Jenny's late arrival. Jenny was secretly hoping she wouldn't notice, but she knew she wasn't that stupid.

"Late night, huh," She said, "Did you get any sleep or did you spend the whole night engaging in 'other activities' ?" She teased.

Jenny glared back at her and replied, "That's none of your business. . ."

"Oh, so you _did _spend the night engaging in 'other activities' then?" Paulina teased.

"Maybe some of the night. . ." Jenny replied quietly, smiling. But loud enough for Paulina to hear her.

Jenny started to walk into her bedroom, she wanted to be alone right now and just have some time to think, but she knew Paulina wouldn't let up. Which she didn't mind entirely because then at least she could talk about Jethro. She was right, within a few minutes she heard a knocking at her door, "You can come in."

Paulina walked in and sat next to Jenny on the bed, "So talk to me, Jenny. Tell me about it. Only if you want to though, I know I tease you a bit sometimes but I'm just doing what a best friend should, you know that right?"

"Of course I do. I don't mind you asking. . .some of the time." Jenny replied.

"So you mind me asking this time?"

"No, actually, I don't."

"Well, go on then."

"Where should I start?"

"Well, the beginning's usually a good place to start stories, Jenny."

Jenny proceeded to tell her friend about her night with Jethro and Paulina noticed from the way she spoke about him that she really loved him, she was even willing to bet she'd found her soul mate. Every time she heard Jenny mention his name she saw a joy and a love in Jenny's eyes, which was true and full of meaning. She wanted to tell Jenny just how lucky she was to have someone like Jethro in her life, but she decided she would wait a bit before she did.

- - -

The next day was a Monday, much to Jenny and Paulina's disappointment. But more so Jenny's since Monday she didn't have English with Jethro. She did however make a mental note to go and see him when she had the chance. After last night, she felt she should.

Paulina was first to leave that morning, as she had an earlier start than Jenny did. So Jenny was left to herself for a few hours. She got up and made herself breakfast, and tried to relax a little. The past few weeks had been such an emotional roller-coaster, she remembered the first day she walked into "Professor Gibbs's" class, then her mind fast forwarded to the previous night. It seemed surreal that all of this had happened in just a short time. She smiled to herself as she recalled the memories. It was fun for her to see how far they had both come. She was sure that before they started seeing each other that Jethro really didn't like her, but evidently that had changed somewhere, and truth be told she had been intimidated by him at first, until she saw past his exterior. What she saw underneath was a beautiful, charming and gentle man.

She finished her breakfast and looked at the time, it was time for her to get ready and go.

When she arrived at the college she quickly hurried to her class, and luckily for her, she actually made it on time. The class wasn't very interesting but she was able to stay mildly attentive, she at least knew what the Professor was talking about, that was a start. She did drift off a few times, thinking about what she would say - and do - when she saw Jethro again. She also kept wondering if he was thinking of her like she was thinking of him. She didn't know it yet, but he was.

Jethro reached over to his bookshelf and pulled out the book he was looking for, he needed it for the next class he had. He had been trying to prepare this lesson for the past hour, but Jenny kept creeping into his thoughts. He never usually let women affect him like this, especially when he was at work, but it was hard for him to not think about Jenny Shepard. He remembered that day in the parking lot when he managed to catch her eye; he had been mesmerised then and he still was now each time he looked at her. He decided to check his answering machine, he wasn't that up with technology and he really didn't understand it that well, but he did understand a few basic things. He saw that he had a message, he hoped it was from Jenny. His hoping payed off, it was from her. It said that she wanted to meet him later. He had a copy of Jenny's schedule so he knew when he could see her, and she had a free lesson next, as did he.

Once the hour was up and Jenny was able to leave her class, she was so pleased she could meet him now, so she quickly made her way to his office.

When she arrived she knocked on the door, just in case a student was in there talking to him. "Come in." She heard him say.

She opened the door and entered, closing and locking it behind her. Lucky for her no one else was in here, and she wanted to keep it that way.

"So how long did it take you to figure out you had a message?"

"Not long. . ."

"So about twenty minutes, then?"

"Something like that."

Jenny walked over to Jethro's side of the desk and sat on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his nose, "I've missed you."

"I missed you too, Jen."

"What are we going to do Jethro? Keep sneaking around like this, when it's convenient for the both of us? It's not always going to be that easy you know. . . I have my schedule and you have yours. . ."

"We'll work something out Jenny."

"Are you sure?"

"Well we both want it don't we?"

"Of course."

"Well then it shouldn't be that hard should it."

"I guess not." Jenny replied, breaking eye contact with him, "Have you given any thought to what will happen if word gets out that I'm with you?"

"To tell you the truth, no, I haven't. I haven't had much time to think about things like that recently."

"Well are you going to start thinking about them?"

"Why are you so eager to tell everyone?"

"I'm not, Jethro. I would just like to be able to kiss you in public, you know, show affection towards you, without everyone gawping. Do you think that's possible?"

"I'm not sure, Jen, but eventually it might be."

"I hope so," She replied, leaving him with a kiss on his lips, "I'll see you later." Jenny left his office then, she had hoped that once she'd seen Jethro she'd feel better, but unfortunately this wasn't the case. She felt worse. Confronting the realisation that she couldn't have a 'normal' open relationship with him saddened her. She wasn't the type to go around advertising the fact that she was with someone, but she did want to have the opportunity to hold Jethro's hand in public and little gestures like that. So far, the only other person who knew about their relationship was Paulina. . .Jenny shuddered when she thought about what her parents would think. She didn't think they would be too keen on the idea of her being with a man who was twelve years older than her. . .but she wasn't going to let a few years stop her from loving him. Not even her parents could make her give that up.

She walked around the college for a while, trying to clear her head. As she Paulina spotted her and came over, "So. . .how did it go?"

"How did what go?"

"Your little "talk" with Jethro?"

"Oh. . .that. . ."

"What. . .that doesn't sound good."

"It's not that bad, it's just that while I was talking to him I cam to a few harsh realisations, that's all."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that I can't be seen out with him, or the fact that I can't talk about him to anyone but you. . .and then there's the matter of my parents. . ."

"Jenny, do you love him?"

"What?" Jenny was a little taken aback by Paulina's question, "Of course I do."

"Well that should be enough shouldn't it? You shouldn't worry about what everyone else thinks, it's not their love it's yours and his. That should be all that matters, you love each other, that's special Jenny."

"Thanks, I guess you're right. . ."

"Did I help?"

"Yes, I think you did."

"Good. I'll see you later then."


	7. Share My Life

Sorry for taking forever to update. . .but I got a bit stuck. I have it worked out now though :) Please leave a review, I'd love to know what you think. :)  
A/N: The title is from the song "I Have Nothing" and the lyrics are from "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul.  
**  
Chapter 7: Share My Life**

_Time's standing still  
Waiting__ for some small clue I  
__ keep getting chills  
When I think your love is true_

Autumn was nearing its end and Winter would be coming around soon, which also meant Christmas time. Jenny wasn't sure how she would be spending Christmas this year, she didn't have enough money to fly back home to her family so she guessed she would be spending it alone. Paulina told her the day before that she already made plans for a trip home, and she felt bad for Jenny seeing as she couldn't go home, but she reminded her that she had Jethro. That fact comforted Jenny she knew she would at least be able to have someone she loved with her. Christmas had always meant a lot to Jenny and having the opportunity to spend it with Jethro pleased her, though she wasn't sure what he thought about it.

She was heading in the direction of the exit when she felt someone come up behind her and grab her waist. She immediately assumed it was Paulina trying to be funny, but when she turned around she was presented with the face of Jethro. . .not Paulina. "Jethro!" Jenny said, playfully. He then kissed her on the side of her neck, "What are you doing? There are people around."

"Then they'll get a good show, won't they."

"What has gotten into you?"

"You."

"Me, what did I do?"

"You said you wanted a normal relationship, that's what I'm giving you."

Jenny laughed, "Not now, Jethro. . .maybe later. . ."

- - -

_December_

A thick layer of snow now covered the ground, Jenny hoped it would last through Christmas, being able to have a white Christmas would make this year even better. But she wasn't sure it would happen, she didn't even know how she would be spending Christmas. . .she needed to talk about that with Jethro. She was on her way to his house to see him and to hopefully talk to him about that.

Jenny walked up to Jethro's front door and realised it was unlocked, _'Damn that man, if he keeps doing this he'll pay for it one day. Though I suspect the only thing he'd actually be sorry to lose in this house would be that damn boat.' _Jenny thought, as she let herself in. She knew where Jethro would be. She wondered sometimes why even had a house at all, when all he does is live in that damn basement. She made her way to the basement and she was right, he was there and he was working on the boat. He looked up when he heard the sound of Jenny's shows hitting the stairs as she walked down.

"Jen? What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too, Jethro. I just wanted to talk to you about a few things."

"Like what?"

"Christmas."

"What about it?"

"It'll be Christmas soon, and I have no one to spend it with."

"You have me, Jen."

"But what about your family? Won't you be seeing them?"

"Nope."

"How come?" Jenny waited for Jethro's answer but it never came, "Okay, I get it, you don't want to talk about it." She said.

Eager to change the subject back to Jenny and off himself, Jethro asked, "How come you're not going to see your family at Christmas then?"

"I can't afford it. I don't have that much money, Jethro."

"And your friend, Paulina?"

"She's going home."

"Well you can spend Christmas with me."

"Are you sure, Jethro, I wouldn't want to intrude."

"I'm sure."

"Thank you."

_Christmas Day_

The snow covered streets matched with the decorated houses lining them made Jenny think of a perfect scene printed on a postcard. She walked along the street; presents in her hands, towards Jethro's house, a house which was in the minority, Jethro wasn't keen on decorations, he didn't like the fuss. Jenny thought she'd try and persuade him to put some up, she liked decorations, and if nothing else, it added to the atmosphere of Christmas, and that was something Jenny loved.

Jenny walked up to Jethro's front door and let herself in (she knew knocking would be useless). Once inside she put the presents on the floor and took off her coat and scarf and hung them on the coat rack. "Jethro!" She called.

"Here, Jen."

Jenny picked her presents up and walked over to Jethro, "Merry Christmas, you got a place for these?"

"Over there." He pointed.

"I'm impressed, you actually have a Christmas tree."

"Did it just for you."

"Sure, you're just in denial, deep down you really love Christmas don't you."

"If you say so, Jen."

- - -

'_Hi, you've reached Jenny and Paulina, we're not around at the moment. I (Paulina) am staying with my folks for the holidays, so you can reach me there. Leave a message if you're looking for Jen or if you're looking for me, you can call my parent's house. Thanks!' _

"She's not there, it's the machine, where is she?"

"Who left the message?"

"Well it wasn't Jennifer."

"Call Paulina's parents then."

"Well it looks like we haven't got any other choice."

- - -

"Jen, there's a call for you."

"Who is it?"

"I'm not sure."

"Hello?"

"Finally! Who was that who answered Jenny?"

"Mum. . ."

"Boyfriend, Jenny? Was that who answered the phone?"

Jenny paused, could she tell them? She considered how they would react, and her conclusion was that they wouldn't react very well, so she thought quickly and replied, "No, that's his father." She hoped that would be enough for her parents.

"Why didn't you tell us you were involved with someone Jenny?"

That told Jen that her temporary solution had worked (at least for now, it was). "I guess it just never came up. . ."

"Well how long have you been seeing this boy?"

"Not that long. . .a few months I guess."

"Months? Jennifer this person is obviously important to you, so why didn't you tell us? And don't say that the chance never came up, this is something that you make time for." Her mother replied.

"I don't know, Mum, I guess I just wanted to see where it would go before I said anything to you. I was going to tell you." She was half lieing about the last part, she really hadn't thought about her parents and what they'd think of Jethro, she was too busy trying to figure out how she felt, let alone anyone else. And parents wasn't a subject that came up often in Jethro and her's conversations.

"Okay. Well now you've told us, so at least there's that. When will we be able to meet him?"

"I don't know, Mum."

"Perhaps New Years' Eve? You and he can come out here."

"New Years Eve? Isn't that a little sudden, Mum?"

"Nonsense, Jenny, it's a perfectly reasonable time."

"Fine, we'll see you then." Jenny replied. But it wasn't like she actually had much of a say in it anyway. She now had to figure out how she was going to tell her parents that her boyfriend was a grown man, who was twelve years older than her. But for now, at least, she had other, more important things to think about, so she wished her parents a Merry Christmas and hung up the phone. Then she walked back to the dining room to where Jethro was.

"Who was on the phone?" Jethro asked.

"My parents." Jenny replied, "It wasn't exactly the greatest phone call ever though."

"Why?"

"They asked about you, they asked who answered. . ."

"Did you tell them?"

"Sort of."

"What does that mean, Jen?"

"It means I may have not told the entire truth. . .but it's not like you can blame me, they had me cornered. . ."

"What did you tell them?"

"That you were the father of my boyfriend. . .I'm sorry Jethro, but I just didn't know what to say."

"Jen you're going to have to tell them eventually."

"I know, especially since they practically forced us to go and stay with them at New Years. . ."

"Stay with them? Jen are you sure we can do that? Did you think about how they will react?"

"I did, after I hung up. . .I told you, it was a spur of the moment answer, I didn't know how they would take it. They'll probably be okay with it after they actually meet you though, they're understanding enough people."

"For both our sake's Jen, I hope you're right."

"For now, at least, can we forget about that and celebrate Christmas?"

"Sure."


End file.
